Steven Gerrard leaves Liverpool next week to join up with his new team-mates at LA Galaxy.

In the meantime, Gerrard has been reflecting on his career in an interview with Rio Ferdinand for BT Sport. The former England duo will both feature on the channel's Champions League coverage next season along with an array of other retired footballers.

The headlines have been full of his quotes on slipping the title away in 2013/14, the night he knew his Liverpool career was over and being walked over by Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira.

However, there remains something interesting that received less coverage. The 35-year-old believes playing under Jose Mourinho would have made him a better and more successful footballer.

In 2005, Gerrard handed Liverpool a transfer request, as per the BBC, and almost joined Chelsea before changing his mind and remaining at his boyhood club.

"I love the manager [Jose Mourinho], I love the man, I've had a distant relationship with him for many years but I have regrets for not playing for the man and the coach because I know he would have made me a better player," Gerrard told BT Sport, as reported by ESPN.

"I know he would have had more trophies to what I've already won. But looking back now I have no regrets not signing for Chelsea. I don't regret it at all.

"I'm happy with the decisions I made. The connection I've got with Liverpool, my home town club. I've probably underachieved at times in certain years with Liverpool but for me it is not all about winning trophies.

"It's also about memories and love and what those memories meant. Winning four or five trophies with Liverpool means an awful lot more than winning 10 or 11 with Chelsea."

Gerrard had a 27-year association with Liverpool where he shielded off interest from Chelsea to remain captain of sides incapable of challenging consistently for silverware. Loyalty seems to becoming rarer and rare in the game today and Ferdinand asked the newly signed LA Galaxy midfielder for his thoughts on the trend as a whole.

"I don't think you'll see much more," he added.

"Players are going to move around more. With the amount of money in the game and the opportunities that come about, players are a lot more easily led.

"What kept me at Liverpool - when I was close to making the decision whether to stay or go -- was my dad, who is a big Liverpool fan, my brother, all my friends. When I won for Liverpool, I shared it with people that are close to me and not many people will understand that.

"I am biased towards Liverpool. In certain games, I've been too biased and showed too much loyalty. But I knew I always wanted to come home, I always wanted to watch Liverpool.

"I'll have season tickets now forever and I knew if I'd have gone to Chelsea or anyone else, I'd have risked losing that. I've been there since I was eight and it was too much to let go."

It depends entirely on how many homegrown players come through the ranks at the top four clubs. The Gary Nevilles, Jamie Carraghers, Paul Scholes' and Ryan Giggs' of the game are no more which is a shame for the English game.

The class of '92 is unlikely to ever be repeated to the extent we have seen at Old Trafford but if the top clubs can start nurturing talent again and grant the youth players opportunities, loyalty will become trend-like again. It's something the Premier League needs to keep hold of as a tradition.

Dale O’Donnell

Dale O’Donnell is a freelance journalist and founder of Manchester United blog Stretty News. He has previously conducted interviews with former footballers such as Gary Neville, Jason McAteer and Mikaël Silvestre. Dale’s work has been published on outlets such as the Guardian, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Sky Sports and more.